Cooking with animals

I can't imagine a better way to begin 2007 than to hear one of the finest new music groups around in repertoire they do splendidly.  On Thursday and Friday at The Kitchen, eighth blackbird will perform music from its latest CD, strange imaginary animals, including Jennifer Higdon's Zaka (2003), which grabbed me at the 2005 Look & Listen Festival.  And dig that cover art from David M. Gordon, whose Friction Systems (2002, rev. 2005) is also on the recording.